Looking for a digicam

I bought my first camera with my first salary and I was waiting for my second company for my digicam. But circumstances(!) have forced me to get a digicam now. Digicams are popular online purchases. I read several guides/comparisons/reviews notably PC Mag’s, DP Review’s, Steve’s Digicams’, JJMehta’s (easily India’s best) and Imaging Resource’s. I consulted the experts I know (like Gopi and a few guys at bschool). I thought I’d need the following features.

at least 5 Megapixels (DP calls them sensor photo detectors, phew)

at least 4x optical zoom

2.5″ LCD, though i wonder if i will use it often, given the fact its usage drains the batteries.

AA batteries, NO proprietary ones (Gopi’s tip)

wireless transfer (seems to be expensive)

What price to buy? I could extend my budget upto 20k, but I don’t really know why I need an expensive camera. For all the click-and-mail extensive use, I should just use a Canon A430, but it is outdated vs. the A700 or A620 which tops the list here. My friend O here will kill me for saying it.

“Which brand?” seems to be a no-brainer and Canon trumps Nikon in the brand of choice for beginner (?) use.

Where to buy? That is the second significant question. Think online purchases. JJMehta and ebay come to mind, though I don’t mind going to a physical store in Indore and getting one if there is no significant price difference.

Warranty? For a 2year comprehensive company warranty, should I pay 2k more? Or should a vendor warranty suffice? To go one step ahead, I should get myself a gray market camera which would save me a further 2k.

Accessories is another need. One 512MB, 4 AA batteries, a charger and a pouch are in my list now.

I have zeroed on the Canon A540. Folks, any tip on digicams and the buying process is MOST welcome. I will be buying one in a month’s time.

Hey
Good luck with the Digicam purchase. Is this in prep to the ‘big trip’? :–) When are you breaking the news?
We have a Sony DSC-W7 now and its decent. Wireless transfer – hm we get away with a stick slot on the laptop – wireless! :–D

a, i’m surprised if you don’t have a cam yet. so many photos. so like me, all with friends’ cams 🙂 i guess, you get pretty good bargains on digicams out there and they are the most-asked for items from people on site!

gopi, do you think all experts know things themselves? don’t be modest!

jj, it’s all about the dough 😉 in that case, as gopi often says, i should buy as a prosumer the highest end model if the diff’s just 2k of my budget.

sk, you guessed it rite. things shall reveal themselves 🙂 hmm. sony cams are decent, i agree. but most sites have canon on top and the pic quality seems to be better than others. that’s why i’m so biased about canon. when k asked me long back what i want in america, he forbid me from asking a digicam else i’d have possessed one by now.

Ha, I confused digital camera with camcorder…hehehehe :-)! Of course, I own a digi cam – how can a shutter-happy person like me not own one ;-)! Mine is a andha gaalathu Canon A70 (bought it way back in 2003) – but I am quite happy with it, so haven’t done any research on any of the latest models.

Basically i am from Nandurbar Dist.
now i am sattled in pune from last 1 Year in Reliance Communication as a MIS Executive
i am proud of my distict, whenever i want i just log on to google from current status of Nandurbar Dist.

Basically i am from Nandurbar Dist. Shahda Tal Aslod village.
now i am sattled in pune from last 1 Year in Reliance Communication as a MIS Executive
i am proud of my distict, whenever i want i just log on to google from current status of Nandurbar Dist.